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Profiles of social vulnerability for flood risk reduction
Eric C. Tate, Samuel Rufat, Md Asif Rahman, Shelley B. Hoover. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2025-01-27
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Social vulnerability indices are increasingly employed as policy and planning instruments for disaster risk reduction. Although indices model the magnitude and spatial distribution of vulnerability, they are coarse and often misleading tools for revealing who is most vulnerable, due to uncertainty and information loss during aggregation. The mismatch inhibits the capacity to reveal intersectional vulnerability drivers and tailor risk reduction interventions. This study seeks to identify the major archetypes of compound social vulnerability in the context of flood exposure in the United States. Based on spatial inputs of demographic variables, pluvial and fluvial flood extent, and high-resolution building footprints, we used Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components to classify, map, and analyze social vulnerability profiles. Six distinct profiles emerged from the analysis, two of which describe the confluence of high levels of both social vulnerability characteristics and flood exposure. The first profile is characterized by linguistic isolation, Hispanic populations, low educational attainment, high population density, and lack of health insurance, while the second is distinguished by a cluster of Black populations, low vehicle access, poverty, and female-headed households. The profile configurations span levels of social vulnerability and flood exposure, revealing intersectional complexity obscured by aggregate index scores. We conclude by discussing how profile typologies and their geographies advance understanding of social vulnerability and can inform strategies for equitable flood adaptation. • Developed profiles of social vulnerability and flood exposure in the United States. • We employed Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components. • The profiles revealed six major archetypes of compound vulnerabilities. • We contrasted the results with a social vulnerability index. • Informs intersectional social vulnerability modeling and adaptation planning.
Key findings
- We conclude by discussing how profile typologies and their geographies advance understanding of social vulnerability and can inform strategies for equitable flood adaptation. • Developed profiles of social vulnerability and flood exposure in the United States. • We employed Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components. • The profiles revealed six major archetypes of compound vulnerabilities. • We contrasted the results with a social vulnerability index. • Informs intersectional social vulnerability modeling and adaptation planning.
Why it matters
This study identifies profiles of social vulnerability in the context of flood exposure in the United States, not Alzheimer's disease. It contains no findings about dementia treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 43 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 45 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction: journal h-index 138 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 17 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 31.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique: institution h-index 2,511 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 43 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 43 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 45 out of 100. |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105250
- Original source →
- Free full text: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Tate, E. C., Rufat, S., Rahman, M. A., & Hoover, S. B. (2025). Profiles of social vulnerability for flood risk reduction. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105250
Vancouver
Tate EC, Rufat S, Rahman MA, Hoover SB. Profiles of social vulnerability for flood risk reduction. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105250.
BibTeX
@article{tate2025-d16b2bf5,
author = {Tate, Eric C. and Rufat, Samuel and Rahman, Md Asif and Hoover, Shelley B.},
title = {{Profiles of social vulnerability for flood risk reduction}},
journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105250},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105250}
}